Statin Use Lowers Risk of Pancreatitis

Use of statin drugs is associated with a reduction in the risk of pancreatic inflammation in patients with normal or mildly increased triglycerides, researchers found in a meta-analysis of 21 trials. 

Researchers utilized data from trials of statins with at least 1000 participants that reported the numbers of pancreatitis cases that developed over the course of the study.  Most of the studies excluded participants with high triglycerides. 

Data from a group of 113,800 participants showed a 23% decrease in the risk of pancreatitis in patients using statins compared with those given a placebo, according to David Preiss, MD, PhD, of the University of Glasgow in Scotland, and colleagues. 

A second group of studies including 39,614 participants, given either intense or moderate doses of statins, also showed a decrease in pancreatitis risk, although the distinction was not statistically significant.  

Overall, only 608 cases of pancreatitis were reported in the nearly 200,000 participants pooled in the 21 trials.  

These findings contradict previous cases suggesting an increased risk of pancreatitis with statin use.

"Although we cannot completely exclude the possibility that statin therapy may lead to very occasional idiosyncratic cases of pancreatitis, the randomized trial data appear reassuring," researchers concluded.

-Michael Potts